1. Field
The present disclosure relates to a pad structure and an associated display device.
2. Description of Related Art
As information technology develops, display devices for displaying an image are increasingly required in various forms. Therefore, research continues into developing thinner, lighter, and more power-efficient display devices.
As a representative example, flat display devices include Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) devices, Plasma Display Panel (PDP) devices, Field Emission Display (FED) devices, Electro Luminescence Display (ELD) devices, Electro-Wetting Display (EWD) devices, and Organic Light Emitting Display (OLED) devices.
Generally, a flat display device includes a display panel, a gate driving unit, a data driving unit, a timing controlling unit and a voltage generating unit. The display panel defines a pixel by intersections of a plurality of gate lines and a plurality of data lines. The gate driving unit drives the plurality of gate lines. The data driving unit includes a plurality of data-driving integrated circuits which drive the plurality of data lines. The timing controlling unit provides various control signals to the gate driving unit and the data driving unit. The voltage-generating unit generates a reference voltage and provides the reference voltage to the data driving unit.
A plurality of gate driving integrated circuits or a plurality of data driving integrated circuits may be mounted on a film in a Chip On Film (COF) type.
Meanwhile, in a display device, a pad structure connects a film on which a data driving integrated circuit or a gate integrated circuit is mounted with various signal lines. In the pad structure, exposed lines are corroded around an area where the film is bonded. In addition, a short-circuit occurs between adjacent lines or metal layers. In addition, a line open or line disconnection occurs in a line due to a step difference of an insulating film included in the pad structure.